Mia Pless

Identifying child functioning from an ICF-CY perspective: Everyday life situations explored in measures of participation

Purpose. This study was part of a larger work to develop an authentic measure consisting of code sets for self- or proxy-report of child participation. The aim was to identify common everyday life situations of children and youth based on measures of participation. Method. The study was descriptive in nature and involved several stages: systematic search of literature to find articles presenting measures for children and youth with disabilities, identifying measures in selected articles, linking items in included measures to the ICF-CY, analysing content in measures presented as performance and participation and identifying aggregations of ICF-CY codes across these measures. Results. A large number of measures for children and youth with disabilities were identified but only 12 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A slight distinction in content and age appropriateness appeared. Measures presented as performance covered all the ICF-CY Activities and Participation chapters, whereas measures presented as participation covered five of nine chapters. Three common everyday life situations emerged from the measures: Moving around, Engagement in play and Recreation and leisure. Conclusion. Only a small number of life situations for children and youth emerged from items in selected measures, thus, other sources are needed to identify more everyday life situations.

Differentiating activity and participation of children and youth with disability in Sweden : a third qualifier in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Children and Youth?

ObjectiveThis article discusses the use of a third qualifier, subjective experience of involvement, as a supplement to the qualifiers of capacity and performance, to anchor activity and participation as separate endpoints on a continuum of actions. DesignEmpirical data from correlational studies were used for secondary analyses. The analyses were focused on the conceptual roots of the participation construct as indicated by the focus of policy documents, the support for a third qualifier as indicated by correlational data, differences between self-ratings and ratings by others in measuring subjective experience of involvement, and the empirical support for a split between activity and participation in different domains of the activity and participation component. ResultsParticipation seems to have two conceptual roots, one sociologic and one psychologic. The correlational pattern between the qualifiers of capacity, performance, and subjective experience of involvement indicates a possible split between activity and participation. Self-ratings of participation provide information not obtained through ratings by others, and later domains in the activities and participation component fit better with measures of experienced involvement than earlier domains did. ConclusionsThe results from secondary analyses provide preliminary support for the use of a third qualifier measuring subjective experience of involvement to facilitate the split between activity and participation in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, Children and Youth version, activity and participation domain.

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and the version for children and youth as a tool in child habilitation/early childhood intervention – feasibility and usefulness as a common language and frame of reference for practice

Early childhood intervention and habilitation services for children with disabilities operate on an interdisciplinary basis. It requires a common language between professionals, and a shared framework for intervention goals and intervention implementation. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the version for children and youth (ICF-CY) may serve as this common framework and language. This overview of studies implemented by our research group is based on three research questions: Do the ICF-CY conceptual model have a valid content and is it logically coherent when investigated empirically? Is the ICF-CY classification useful for documenting child characteristics in services? What difficulties and benefits are related to using ICF-CY model as a basis for intervention when it is implemented in services? A series of studies, undertaken by the CHILD researchers are analysed. The analysis is based on data sets from published studies or master theses. Results and conclusion show that the ICF-CY has a useful content and is logically coherent on model level. Professionals find it useful for documenting childrens body functions and activities. Guidelines for separating activity and participation are needed. ICF-CY is a complex classification, implementing it in services is a long-term project.

EVALUATION OF IN-SERVICE TRAINING IN USING THE ICF AND ICF VERSION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of in-service training on staffs self-reported knowledge, understanding use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and ICF Children and Youth version (ICF-CY). DESIGN Quasi-experimental with a questionnaire prior to training and another one year after training. METHODS Intervention was in-service training in using the ICF and ICF-CY. Subjects were 113 professionals working in habilitation services. Two subgroups were compared: (i) subjects who reported one year after the training that they had used the ICF and ICF-CY in daily practice; and (ii) subjects who had not used these frameworks. RESULTS The gender, age, and years of work experience of the members in the subgroups were similar. The professionals who used what they learnt from the training, and who already had knowledge about and a positive attitude to the ICF/ICF-CY prior to the training, were found to benefit most from the training. They also increased their ability to apply it to statements about everyday work. These professionals should focus on increasing their understanding and use of the ICF/ICF-CY in their everyday work and in assessment, while those who have limited prior knowledge of the ICF/ICF-CY should focus on gaining knowledge and understanding the purpose, terms and components of the framework. CONCLUSION It is recommended that in-service training in using the ICF and ICF-CY is tailored to different groups of professionals depending on their degree of knowledge of the ICF/ICF-CY.

Implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the ICF Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) within the context of augmentative and alternative communication.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and the ICF version for Children and Youth (ICF-CY), within the context of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). First, the use of the ICF and the ICF-CY in AAC research is analyzed. Second, examples of training and implementation of ICF from other contexts besides AAC are provided. Finally, we synthesize data to provide directions for future implementation of the ICF and ICF-CY in the field of AAC. We conclude that, within AAC, organizational routines and intervention documents need to be adapted to the universal language and classification framework of the ICF and ICF-CY. Furthermore, examples are needed to demonstrate how factors affect implementation at organizational and individual levels.

Professionals’ views of children’s everyday life situations and the relation to participation

Purpose: The aim was to determine professionals’ views of everyday life situations (ELS) of importance for children and to explore how ELS correlate with the construct “Participation”. This study was part of a larger work to develop a structured tool with code sets to identify child participation and support children with disabilities to describe what matters most for them in intervention planning. Method: The study had a concurrent mixed methods design. Information from one open-ended question and questionnaires were linked to the ICF-CY component Activities and Participation. Two concurrent data sets were compared. Results: Proposed ELS were distributed across ICF-CY categories from low to high level of complexity and context specificity. The correlation with participation became stronger for the later chapters of the component (d7–d9). Differences between respondents due to working field, country, and children’s ages were explored. Acts and tasks seemed most important for the youngest children, whereas ELS shifted towards societal involvement for adolescents. Conclusion: Eleven categories related to ICF-CY chapters d3–d9 emerged as ELS. Two age groups (infants/preschoolers and adolescents) are required to develop code sets for the new tool. The results need triangulation with other concurrent studies to provide corroborating evidence and add a family perspective. Implications for Rehabilitation A child’s functioning and disability is best understood when diagnosis is supplemented by a functional description. Children and parents need opportunities expressing their opinions during intervention planning. Models to connect interventions to participation in everyday life situations enhance children’s motivation.

Speech and language pathologists’ perceptions and practises of communication partner training to support children’s communication with high-tech speech generating devices

Abstract Purpose: This study examined speech and language pathologists’ (SLPs’) perceptions and practices of communication partner training with high-tech speech generating devices (SGDs). Method: Fifteen SLPs were recruited throughout Sweden. The SLPs answered a study-specific questionnaire on communication partner training in relation to communication partners to children with severe cerebral palsy and intellectual disability. The results were analysed with descriptive statistics (closed-ended questions, responses on Likert scales) and content analysis (open-ended question) using ICF-CY. Results: Twelve SLPs completed the survey. Half had no or one training session with communication partners in the last year. One-third never used documents for goal-setting. Half seldom or never taught communication partner strategies. Three quarters only used verbal instructions. The main obstacles were environmental factors. Conclusions: This study contributes valuable knowledge about high-tech SGD interventions targeting communication partners. The high-tech SGD intervention may benefit from goal-setting, extended number of training sessions and a range of instructional approaches. Implications for Rehabilitation Speech and language pathologist (SLPs) reported that children with severe cerebral palsy and intellectual disability (SSPI) can benefit from speech generating device (SGD) communication. Communication partner strategies and goal-setting supports the development of communication with SGD. SLPs seldom taught stakeholder communication partner strategies and instruments for goal-setting. Because stakeholders may vary in their way of learning SLPs need to use a variety of instructional approaches. SLPs used few instructional approaches, typically verbal information.

Use of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF-CY) to analyse information

Use of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF-CY) to analyse information